ECONOMIC FAILURE
Although we are currently experiencing a period of economic growth, many Americans are just one paycheck away from being homeless. History has demonstrated how fragile the U.S. and world economies can be. In fact, most economist agree that a severe
downturn is inevitable at some point. Few people have really come to terms with the fact that the economy along with our infrastructure
could suffer a complete collapse. All of the things that we have come to depend on are fueled by money. Everything, including
our electricity, communications, transportation, food, water, clothing, freight, sewer, and our homes depend on someone being paid
to produce and/or deliver these things to us. In an economic failure scenario, many businesses close their doors. Prices
go up while more people lose their jobs. With fewer jobs to fuel the economy, even more businesses close and lay off even more
people and a cascading failure takes hold.
Imagine if you woke up one day and the power was out, the phone didn’t work, the water was off, and all the stores were closed.
The businesses that had survived to this point would be forced to close and lock their doors because they depend on electricity, water,
sewer and deliveries to operate. It would seem as if the earth had come to a deafening stillness. And then it hits you:
What you have is all that you are going to get, probably for a very long time. Perhaps this image is the reason that most people
will not accept that it is possible. No one wants this to happen, but we must all prepare for the possibility. In fact,
the entire economy doesn’t have to collapse to affect us personally. As I said earlier, many of us are one paycheck from being
homeless. If we loose our job for any reason, we can find ourselves on the street with nothing to sustain us.
Preparing for economic and infrastructure failure:
If the economy and/or infrastructure were to suffer a collapse, it could be
a long time before any sense of normalcy would surface. It stands to reason that crime would run rampant as desperate people
struggle to provide for their families. Desperation can turn the nicest of people into lawless thugs. Cities, in particular,
would become very dangerous places. Those who could, would leave the cities and head for the suburbs and areas beyond, flooding and
over taxing the limited resources of those areas. Many people will think that they can live off the land, but the fact is that
we as a civilization have moved far beyond that. Only a very few people in this country are capable of living off the land and
even their chances would be diminished by the exodus of people into their areas. The wisest of people will have prepared.
- Consider
carefully how long it could be before you might be able to get supplies and stock up accordingly. The repercussions of an economic
collapse could last for some time.
- General preparedness is the best strategy for offsetting the effects of economic or infrastructure
failure. Stock as many supplies as you can. Also, try to visualize any other items that you might need. Refer to the “General
Preparedness” section to help guide you.
- Try to convince your friends to prepare as well. This will keep them from coming to
you during the crisis and possibly diminishing your supplies. Also, alliances can be formed among those that are prepared.
- Consider
stocking some extra “trade” goods. The first step towards normalcy will probably come in the form of a barter system.
Having some extra useful items may be helpful. Use your imagination. Bear in mind that any form of barter system is not
likely to be organized for some time. There will probably first be a period of chaos when it will be wise to keep your distance
from other people until things calm down a bit. Here are some items that may be in demand after a collapse:
· Soaps (small hotel sizes)
· Shampoo (small hotel sizes)
· Hard Candy
· Salt
· Sugar
· Spices
· Cigarettes
· Lighters
· Tools
· Wire
· Coffee
· Tea
· Toilet Paper
- Do not travel if possible. Stay home and stay to yourself. Cover your windows to prevent drawing attention to your home. If you live in a residential area, you might consider covering your windows with plywood. If there are crowds of people on the street, don’t run a generator or otherwise draw attention to yourself until the crowds have dispersed. Riots and looting are a very real possibility and you don’t want to be the only house with the lights on.
- Do not tell other people that you have supplies. When word of your “supply stash” gets out, you and your family could fall victim to theft or home invasion, leaving you in a very desperate situation.
- If you own or elect to purchase a firearm, keep it hidden (but ready) in a safe place away from children. Never threaten to shoot someone for effect. This may escalate a situation beyond your control. The last thing that needs to happen is for a lot of people to be running around flashing guns at each other. Sooner or later someone’s going to get shot.
- When things start to settle down, help others when and if you can. This will start to breed goodwill and communities will begin to reform.
As farfetched as the above scenario may sound to some people, it is becoming more and more possible every day. Our infrastructure is fragile, and it can be upset by many factors. It is affected by our economy, but it is also a target for terrorism and world war scenarios that are more realistic than many of might imagine. A well orchestrated attack could cause massive power outages, suspend travel for an indefinite period of time and cause any number of unimaginable horrors. A disaster of this magnitude would surely test the fabric of this nation. We must carefully consider how we will react; not to the terrorist or to our government, but to each other. The preservation of our nation could depend on it.
